Shortform Books

The Ideal Team Player: Humble, Hungry, and Smart

Are your employees natural team players—humble, hungry, and smart? What can you do to instill these qualities in your workforce? For organizations committed to a teamwork culture, the right people are ideal team players who are humble, hungry, and smart. People who are humble focus on the success of the team rather than their personal interests. People who are hungry are driven to seek more work and responsibility. And people who are smart have common sense when it comes to dealing with people—they understand where others are coming from. To help those who are significantly lacking in one of the

Emotional Discipline: The 2 Traps to Avoid

What is emotional discipline? What’s the healthiest way to handle your feelings? Emotional discipline doesn’t mean that you ignore your feelings. It means that you address your feelings in a measured way. You can avoid the traps of too little structure or too much structure—striking a healthy emotional balance—so that you can put more energy toward growth. Read more to learn about healthy emotional discipline.

STEPPS Marketing: Jonah Berger’s Powerful Strategy

What is Jonah Berger’s STEPPS marketing strategy? How can understanding this help you create contagious products or ideas? In his book Contagious, Jonah Berger shares his best marketing secrets, including his STEPPS marketing strategy. This involves six powerful steps for creating contagious products and services. Understanding this strategy will help you make your product or idea compelling enough to become contagious. Keep reading to find out the six key principles of Berger’s STEPPS marketing strategy.

Speculative Bubbles: Why They Inevitably Burst

What is a speculative bubble? How has irrational optimism caused some of the biggest stock market crashes in history? A speculative bubble is a sudden rise in stock price fuelled by public speculation and unfounded optimism. From the tulipmania of 17th Century Holland to the more recent “dot-com” crash, speculative bubbles have led to some of history’s biggest financial disasters. When it comes to speculative bubbles, some get lucky but most are left holding the bag. Learn about speculative bubbles below.

How Are Resources Allocated in a Market Economy?

How are resources allocated in a market economy? What is the advantage of price-based resource allocation? In a free-market economy, resources are allocated by prices. In this way, a market economy is self-regulating, allowing real-time coordination across millions of goods and services, without any central authority knowing and setting all the prices. In this article, you’ll learn how prices allocate resources and how supply and demand respond to prices.

The Power of Positive Thinking: Book Overview

What is The Power of Positive Thinking about? How can having faith, according to its author Norman Vincent Peale, help you live a happier and more fulfilling life? In his book The Power of Positive Thinking, Norman Vincent Peale outlines the practical techniques of applied Christianity to help you take control of the events in your life rather than be directed by them. As a result of these methods, you can enjoy better relationships, a greater sense of well-being, robust health and energy, and a stronger sense of purpose in the world. Below is a brief overview of The Power

Switch by Chip and Dan Heath: Book Overview

What does Switch by Chip and Dan Heath teach us about sustainable change? How can we create change that lasts? In Switch, Chip and Dan Heath discuss how change works, how to motivate change in yourself and others, and how to create sustainable change by overcoming obstacles and making change as easy as possible. Here is a brief overview of Switch by Chip and Dan Heath.

John Walker: Why Is Losing Weight So Hard?

Why is losing weight so hard? If the concept of weight loss is so simple—burn more calories than you eat— then why isn’t everybody a healthy weight? Although the concept of weight loss is simple—calories in/calories out—it isn’t easy to implement in practice. Many people lack the motivation or willpower to eat less food, to pass up that donut, or to pay attention to the number of calories they’re putting in their body. Here is how John Walker explains the struggle of weight loss in his book The Hacker’s Diet.

The Efficient Market Hypothesis: Beating the Market

What is the Efficient Market Hypothesis? Is it possible to beat the market? What are the three forms of the Efficient Market Hypothesis? According to the Efficient Market Hypothesis, all share prices reflect all available information. As a result, it’s not possible for anyone (without inside information) to determine whether a stock is valued correctly. There are three forms of the Efficient Market Hypothesis, with each coming to a different conclusion about the efficiency of the market. Learn more about this hypothesis below.

Types of Bonds in Finance: 6 You Should Know About

What are the six different types of bonds in finance? What tips can help you buy the right ones? According to economist Burton Malkiel, bonds are worth including as part of a well-diversified portfolio. There are six main types of bonds in finance you should be aware of, and understanding the difference will help you to buy the right ones for you. Keep reading for an overview of the different types of bonds in finance.